Overview
There are three curricular tracks for WC psychology majors: the General Psychology track, the concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience (BN), and the concentration in Clinical/Counseling (CC). All courses of study are designed to prepare students for graduate study in psychology, if that is the path they desire to follow. However, the specific emphasis of each track is slightly different. Students are encouraged to sample courses across tracks, but they may want to speak with a psychology faculty advisor to determine the best track to take. The BN and CC concentrations are described in detail on separate web pages. The requirements for the General Psychology track are described below.
General Psychology Track
The General Psychology Track is designed to provide the broadest exposure to all disciplines in psychology. It includes a natural science course sequence, a statistics course sequence, several psychology laboratory courses, a choice of non-laboratory elective coursework, and the senior capstone experience. Throughout the curriculum, the emphasis is on empirical testing of theoretical psychological models. Students graduate with the quantitative skills required for conducting and evaluating psychological research.
This track is recommended for those students who desire a broad background in psychology, for those contemplating careers in such fields as experimental psychology and social psychology, or for those who wish to double major in psychology and another discipline (e.g., art, English, philosophy, sociology, etc).
Course Requirements
The Natural Science Core
Psychology Majors in the General Psychology Track are required to take one (1) of the following two-semester introductory sequences in the natural sciences:
- BIO 101 and 102 - General Biology
- CHE 101 and 102 - General Chemistry
- PHY 111 and 112 - General Physics
The Psychology Core
All the following psychology courses are required:
- PSY 111 and 112 - General Psychology
- PSY 209 - Statistics (or MAT 109 - Statistics; or ECO 215 - Data Analysis I)
- PSY 309 - Research Design
- PSY 399 and 400 - Senior Seminar (non credit-bearing)
- PSY SCE - Senior Capstone Experience
Laboratory Requirement
Majors must complete four (4) of the following courses, three of these must be laboratory courses, and there must be at least one course from each of the three disciplinary areas; General Experimental, Applied/Clinical, and Biological (* indicates a laboratory course):
General Experimental
- PSY 302 - Life-span Developmental
- PSY 316 - Cognitive Science *
- PSY 321 - Social Psychology
- PSY 322 - Environmental Psych
- PSY 331 - Personality
- PSY 406 - Experimental Social Psychology *
Applied/Clinical
- PSY 320 - Health Psychology *
- PSY 333 - Tests and Measurements
- PSY 323 - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- PSY 332 - Psychopathology
- PSY 403 - Behavior Modification *
- PSY 404 - Theories & Processes of Counseling
- PSY 416 - Human Factors Psychology
Biological
- PSY 310 - Biopsychology *
- PSY 313 - Learning *
- PSY 317 - Sensation and Perception *
- PSY 319 - Comparative Psychology *
- PSY 405 - Psychopharmacology *
- PSY 410 - Neuroscience Research Methods *
Psychology Electives
One (1) additional PSY courses at the 300 or 400 level: Any of the remaining 300 or 400 level courses listed above, or any of the following:
- PSY 000 - Psychology Internship
- PSY 305 - Drugs & Behavior
- PSY 311 - History & Systems of Psychology
- PSY 395 - Summer Research
- PSY 401 - Advanced Problems